The Gods Are on Earth - Research Paper Example

 The gods are on earth It goes without saying that despite innumerable diversity of human life across the globe and in the scrolls of history, there seems to be certain universal common aspects to human existence. These common patterns have been discovered not only by scientists but also by poets and literary writers. This is why some writers and poets, like Chaucer and Shakespeare, win the titles of being universal poets and writers.They treat universal themes in their works and today they are eulogised as ‘modern’ despite the fact that they are classical poets and writers. This universality of patterns about human life has been there in classical stories and myths as well. One of such common patterns in almost all the great heroic stories and myths of the world has been described by Joseph Campbell as ‘monomyth’. As the word ‘monomyth’ suggests ‘mono’ means ‘one’ or ‘single’ and according to Gerard Naddaf(2000), the Greek word ‘myth’ (original ‘muthos’ or ‘mythos’), , ‘word’,’advice’or ‘ a story’( Translator’s Intro).So, monomyth means ‘the single myth’ or ‘the same myth’ behind all the myths in the world, as William Indick(2004.p71-72)observes: The universal quality of mythology is revealed in the archetypal figures and themes that pervade the myth. An inherent structure can be perceived throguhout all mythology.Cambell called this structure the ‘monomyth’… The monomyth is a single structure, just as the hero is a single figure.Just as the hero has thousand faces, the myth has a thousand plots. In turn both the hero and his myth share common archetypal elements. Cambell took this word from Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce. As the word occurs on the page 581 of this book, ‘And his monomyth! Ah ho! Say no more about it! I am sorry! I saw…...’ Cambell used the word ‘monomyth’ to refer to the journey of a hero which is almost the same in all myths in the world. In his famous book The Hero with a Thousand Faces(2008), he explains that ‘the standard path’ of a monomyth hero contains the three stages: ‘Seperation---Initiation---- Return’(p23). A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder(x): fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won(y): the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man (z).(Joseph Campbellpp23). These stages can be shown in the form of a cycle, as below: These three stages contain substages. Campbell enumerates around 17 stages . All the stages may not be found in everymyth.These stages may have symbolic meanings and may stand for phases in individuals’ life as explained by David Adam Leeming(1998). Leeming is of the view that myth is the ‘the wonderful song of the soul’s high adventure’ and therefore he discovers deeper meanings in the journey of hero and the concept of monomyth: The journey of life is the search for the self—for the personal myth which is veiled in the local and the immediate but which on a deeper level, is but an expression of the world myth…As individual groups , we need to put our personal myth into proper relationship with the human myth (p 6-7) He further points out that monomyth is ‘our own journey through physical and psychic life and of the evolutionary path of humanity to full consciousness’He quotes Cambell himself who argued that ‘the agony of breaking through the personal limitations is the agony of spritiual growth’ and that art, literature, philosophy and asceticism are instrumental in this respect. They ‘help the individual past his limiting horizon into the spheres of ever-expanding realization’ (qtd in Leeming p 6-7). Thus , Leeming invites all of us to accompany the hero ‘through the rites of the passage , we must lose ourselves to find ourselves to find ourselves in the overall pattern of the cosmos. The hero cherishes the human ideals of liberty, fraternity and equality. Hero symbolizes the oneness of human ideal. He is the torch-bearer of peaceful co-existence.From the Classical monomyth we have entered into an era of modern monomyth based upon the concepts of superheroes. Our movies depict super-heroes like Superman, Spiderman, Batman and Harry Potter and the characters of Star wars are actually the extension of the concept of monomyth. But modern perspective is changed one. Here the hero is challenged with an omnipresent and potent evil that is always intending to threaten human civilization and carrying out plans to annihilate this earth. Man’s unconscious desire to convert this world into a utopian ideal expresses itself in fiction. Out of the existent world of nature man tries to fashion his own world which is suitable to his ideals. He risks everything to achieve this goal. He faces trials and tribulations to reach his goal. The journey from the known world to an unknown utopia is ventured only to the betterment of the fellow being. The hero of monomyths like Spiderman is mostly a self-less character who shows dissatisfaction with the prevailing situation and through his imaginative flight actuates a physical flight from his surroundings and grapples with destiny. The journey has to be carried out, the sufferings have to be endured and challenges have to be accepted as existence is not just pleasure-seeking. It is a question to be answered, a riddle to be solved. Hero is the chosen one who dares take this task. Some unknown supernatural forces are always there to help him. No matter what these unknown forces are yet they have a purpose in the story i.e. to facilitate the hero in undertaking his task. To aid him wherever he is in the need of any help. To guide him wherever he is misled .It like a metaphysical presence always remains at hand. The hero of classical myth is demi-god like Hercules who ‘ventures from the world of common day into the region of supernatural wonder’. This demi-god now comes as a superhero in modern myth. The aspirations are the same. The superhero accomplishes the same tasks. He tries to mitigate the aches of humanity through his endowed faculties. He is an agent of supernatural powers on earth. It seems that gods themselves have alighted from their celestial seat and have decided to share the terrestrial existence of human beings. Our modern fiction, movies and TV serials abound with the instances of these image heroes. Harry Potter, Superman, Batman, Spiderman are the modern superheroes who have created in the tradition of the hero of Classical monomyth. The enchanting feats of the heroes of these myths have enthralled millions .The children who live in a world of fantasy idealize and idolize these characters. The adults who in the cruel world of reality have seen many of their desire suppressed by some unknown forces, cherish the presence of character who is their opposite. This character shares with them their mundane existence but has magical powers through which he can accomplish what they can not .The awe-inspiring character actually symbolizes their unconscious desire to challenge the existential limitations. The conventional fight between good and evil still persists even in American monomyth. This American monomyth is the evolutionary development of the concept. Lawarence and Jewett(2002) have analysed the The myth in the modern context. In popular Death Wish films that originated in the 1970’s, petty criminals threateh the voyagers from Eden. In Strar Trek’s original series, challenges arise from interplanetary baddies such as Romulunas, Klingons, or aggressive gods. In Star Trek Next Generation and Voyager series, the disturbances of harmony originate with forces such as the Borg or Q.In the blockbuster success Jaws, Amity Island’s tranquility is shattered by the marauding super shark. Spiderman and Superman contend against criminal and spies just as the Lone Ranger put down threats by greedy frontier gangs. (p 26). Thus American myth seems to based on convetional theme of the fight of good and evil. The evil threatens the peaceful existence of this earth and ruler spirits of good spirits enjoin this task of doing away with this evil on the hero. Spiderman as monomyth Spider-man is an apt instance of this concept. The Spider-man is the popular subject of stories, comics and movies and TV serials .Orignially created by Stan Lee and his partner Jack Kirby, Spidermn-first appered in 1962 in the comic Amzaing Fantasy # ,and the character’s own series began the following year.(Rubin 2007). Willian Indick(2004) outlines the story of Spiderman in the Context of Campbell’s Heroes Journey.In Stage 1, The protagonist is shown as an orphan child whose parents have died in plane crash. Aunt May and Uncle Ben raise this parentless child in the forest Hills. Peter Parker appears to be shy introvert character who is a butt of ridicule due to the oddities of his character.Appearently he seems to be weak character who is always teased by his class-fellows. In fact he is the least popular fellow at the campus. But a drastic change in his life comes after a trip to Columbia University Lab.Here a transformation in his biological and psychological being takes place when he is bitten by a spider. After this he is a changed man with many supernatural powers of his new existence. According Rubin(2007) The Call to Adventure begins for Peter when, after a wrestiling match, he refuses to stop a thief that ran past him in a hallway, insisting that he was only going out to look out for “ number one”. But this thing turns into a refusal of call as the person kills his Uncle Ben. At this juncture Peter uses his powers to take revenge .Rubin(2007) declares this stage as Crossing the First Threshold. This stage takes the hero to next stage. According Rubin (2007) The entering of the Belly of Whale is when the hero, in passing the thereshold, goes inward, undergoes a metamorphosis, and is born again. In the case of Peter, he must give up the idea that he is a normal man with responsibility only to himself and don the Spider-Man costume, and he now has responsibilities to society. (p 77-78) In stage 2, Initiation on his Road to Trials ,Parker takes up arms against evil forces and starts tackling the criminal elements in the New York City. His goddess of Meeting With Goddess Stage is aunt Mary who goads him into doing great things. Mary Jane is the (Woman as) Tempsetress who takes our hero away from this road of trials into the world of love but ironically brings him again face to face with the forces he was evading. Apotheosis takes place in his symbolic death and then spiritual rebirth followed by The Magic Flight, or his return to fighting again with the criminal elements of New York. The presents of other stages Rescue from without and Crossing the Threshold has also been suggested through his rescue by Harry Osborne and his own daring acting of saving the people at subway.In the end his true identity is reveled and Mary Jane knows about the truth of his personality. At this stage he is the Master of the Two Worlds , Peter Parker of this world and Spiderman of an unknown supernatural world benefiting his people with ultimate boon. This Master of the Two Worlds achieves the final bounty of Freedom to Live. Now he does not have to hide his identity as Spiderman rather he can enjoys both roles in the same society as he is loved and accepted in both roles by he fellow beings. The Story of Spiderman depicts the mythical journey of a hero who treads from the realm of natural to the realm of supernatural. His flight from this world to another world is not voluntary, but he comes to a compromise to his newly acquired existence. He has duties to perform. He symbolizes human being’s secret wish to cast away the limitation of their existence and enjoy a free and potent existence of gods. He is the incarnation of the over-reacher who resides in the inner recesses of our mind. He has to make the people realize that gods are just and their visitation on earth can be in many shapes. The classical stories are still ingrained in the collective conscious of the humanity. The cyclic journey of the hero of monomyth actually reminds us the cyclic evolution of the concept of monomyth.The basic patterns of human thought seem to be identical. The basic colors are same; the only difference is that of shades. Works Cited Leeming, David,Adam.. Mythology, the Voyage of the Hero. 3rd edition . NY: Oxford UP. 1998. Joyce James. Finnegans wake NY:Penguin Books. 1999. Campbell Joseph . The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 2nd edition California : New World Library. 2008.   Indick William. Movies and the mind: theories of the great psychoanalysts applied to film.North California: McFarland & Company Inc, Publishers. 2004. Gerard Naddaf(Trans) Luc Brisson..Plato the Myth Maker .London: The University of Chicago. 2000. Rubin Lawrance C.Using Superheroes in counseling and play therapy.New York, N.Y. : Springer Publishers. 2007. Lawrance John Shelton, and Robert Jewett. The myth of the American Superhero. Grand Rapids, MI [u.a.] Eerdmans .2002.   Read More